Burton N. Pugach (April 20, 1927 – December 24, 2020) was a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

-based

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...

who spent 14 years in prison for hiring men to throw

lye A lye is a metal hydroxide traditionally obtained by leaching wood ashes, or a strong alkali which is highly soluble in water producing caustic basic solutions. "Lye" most commonly refers to sodium hydroxide (NaOH), but historically has been u ...

in the face of his former girlfriend (and future wife) Linda Eleanor Riss (February 23, 1937 – January 22, 2013).

Biography

In 1959, Pugach began a

courtship Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private ...

of Linda Riss, a 21-year-old woman from the

East Bronx The East Bronx is the part of the New York City borough of the Bronx which lies east of the Bronx River; this roughly corresponds to the eastern half of the borough. Neighborhoods include: Baychester, Castle Hill, City Island, Co-op City, ...

. Upon discovering that Pugach had a wife and daughter, Riss broke off their relationship. Pugach then threatened to kill or hurt Riss if she left him, saying "If I can't have you, no one else will have you, and when I get through with you no one else will want you." Riss reported the threat to the

New York Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

to no avail. Upon hearing of her engagement to Larry Schwartz, Pugach hired three assailants to attack Riss. The assailants threw

in Riss's face, leaving her blind in one eye, nearly blind in the other, and permanently scarred. Pugach was convicted of the crime and spent 14 years in prison, during which time he continually wrote to Riss. He was subsequently

disbarred Disbarment, also known as striking off, is the removal of a lawyer from a bar association or the practice of law, thus revoking their law license or admission to practice law. Disbarment is usually a punishment for unethical or criminal condu ...

, due to his

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that res ...

conviction. After he was released from prison in 1974, Pugach and Riss resumed their relationship and married soon thereafter. In 1976 they co-wrote a book, ''A Very Different Love Story''. In 1997 Pugach was once again accused of threatening a woman with whom he was having an affair. Riss appeared at his trial as a character witness for him. Riss died of heart failure on January 22, 2013, at the age of 75. In 2007

Dan Klores Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa ** Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Iv ...

produced a documentary film '' Crazy Love'' about Pugach and Riss. Pugach died on December 24, 2020, in Queens.

References

Bibliography

* Farnsworth, Ward and Grady, Mark F. ''Torts: Cases & Questions''. Aspen Publishers. 2004. * Stainback, Berry. ''A Very Different Love Story: Burt and Linda Pugach's Intimate Account of Their Triumph Over Tragedy''. Morrow, 1976.

External links

Website for ''Crazy Love (movie)''

''Crazy Love''
IMDb

Article from ''The New York Times'' * ttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/aug/05/familyandrelationships3 ''The Observer Life and Style: Meet the Pugachs'' Article from ''The Guardian''
''Homegrown "Crazy Love" Hits Theaters''
Article from ''The Queens Chronicle''
''Live From Studio 1A: Burt and Linda's "Crazy Love"''
Article from ''Today.com''

Article from ''The Washington Post''
''Linda's Fear Story Rocks Trial''
Article from the ''Daily News''
''Pugach Gets 15 Yrs. in Lye Attack on Girl''
Article from the ''Daily News''
''Riss v. New York''
A lawsuit filed by Linda Riss against the New York City Police Department for failing to protect her

Article From ''The New York Times''

Article From ''The New York Times''
''Lye in Face Ends in Pair's Marriage''
Article From ''The Lawson Constitution''
''Not Just Another Love Story''
Article From ''The Michigan Daily''

Article From ''The New York Times''
''Love After the Lye''
''People Magazine'', February 14, 1977 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pugach, Burt 1927 births 2020 deaths Brooklyn Law School alumni Disbarred American lawyers New York (state) lawyers People from Queens, New York